Oluwa was facing barriers into employment, but once she signed up to Improving Lives, we were able to support her every step of the way to a positive future.
Oluwa stepped through our doors, in early summer and registered for Improving Lives (UKSPF) in June. She had experienced a period of unemployment after facing a health issue but having managed to get this under control she was eager to return to work. She came to us for support in securing a job and to improve her financial circumstances.
Jemma Paterson (Improving Lives Project Officer, UKSPF) takes up the story: “During the registration process, we work with participants to pin down what they feel is holding them back so we can work with them on addressing the barriers. Oluwa explained that although she has a strong educational background and a previously stable employment history she felt her CV was now letting her down. She was also feeling a lack of confidence in job interviews.
We got straight onto this – firstly, we referred her onto an Orbit Training Session on interview skills which gave her clear information on different types of interviews, how to answer interview questions and how to appear confident.”
Supporting skill development
Oluwa then joined VAC’s Improving Lives course. This gave her valuable opportunity to find volunteering roles to apply for and gain that much needed work experience she required to get her CV up to date and her skills fresh. The course not only increased her self-confidence, gained by talking to the group and working in a team, but also helped her to ramp up her employability skills. She learnt how to build a strong CV, where to look for jobs and how to structure answers on application forms. At the end of the course, we were delighted to witness her reporting an increase in self- confidence and motivation.
Jemma continues:
“In addition to the course, we provided her with 1:1 support to update her CV. Then booked her onto a National Career Service CV workshop in July to gain a deeper understanding of how she can tailor her CV to different job opportunities.”
Through our established links with the Job Shop, Jemma was able to identify a job with the newly opened City College Coventry as a receptionist/ admin assistant. This role matched Oluwa’s skills and experience perfectly.
We’re delighted to report that Oluwa was selected for an interview, and successfully recruited for the role. Oluwa has now been in position for around six weeks and has settled well into her new role. VAC continues to support Oluwa with her employment journey.
Huge congratulations to Oluwa on landing your new position, and thank you for sharing your story with us, which we hope will inspire others to ‘take the first step’.
Find out more about the course
To find out how Improving Lives could support you or someone you know, view the event flyer here and take a look at our web page.
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